Tech Job Market Hot at the Moment

At the peak of the dot-com boom (June of 2000), the unemployment rate for the computer industry was 2.3 %. Right now, it is even lower at 2.1%, which certainly comes as a green light to engineers and computer scientists. This year’s cohort of computer science and engineering students can expect an advantage in an industry that has grown steadily for the past four years. In fact, the unemployment rate for recent tech graduates has dropped to about 2%.

"Things are particularly bright for software engineers, whose unemployment rate was down to 0.9 percent last quarter, compared to 1.9 percent during the same period in 2000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor."

"In total of tech jobs we’re probably in a better position than we’ve ever been."

"From being an employers’ market four years ago, it’s now an employee-driven market."

The process of hiring people is most active during spring and summer. Companies like IBM, Microsoft, Google, and others are working very hard to find the right candidates to fill open positions. For instance, Microsoft has plans to hire 2,500 students this year, which they say would be a bigger if there wasn’t a shortage of students with technical skills.

Of course every company is looking for something different. IBM is looking for very specific skills, such as those learned in its very own SSME academic discipline (Services, Sciences, Management, and Engineering). Google on the other hand, seeks people early in their careers so that they can be molded accordingly. Although the job market is quite open at the moment, the advice that’s commonly being given is to be proactive, “get your name out there, don’t expect the jobs to come to you.”